beehive frame without honey

U.S. honey crop stung by climate change

Drought-weakened bee colonies shrink North American honey crop, threaten almonds and fruit Gackle, N.D. | Reuters — There was barely a buzz in the air as John Miller pried the lid off of a crate, one of several “bee boxes” stacked in eight neat piles beside a cattle-grazing pasture outside Gackle, North Dakota, about 150

Cattle search for grazing on one of the Interlake’s sparse pastures in July.

On the brink: Drought pushes Interlake beef producers to the edge of viability

Will drought see an exodus from the cattle business in Manitoba's Interlake?

The pictures coming out of the pastures and hayfields between Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg are grim, and they look nothing like July. Across the field, there is little green on the ground. Brown is the predominant colour, and little stands tall enough to block out the occasional rock or cow-pie. It’s a visual image


Critically dry pasture in the RM of Fisher shows little growth in July after only three weeks of grazing.

Feed fears come into focus after poor first cut, flagging pasture

Livestock producers are facing yet another year of both poor first-cut yields and ongoing pasture concerns

Producers are seeing their fears realized with light hay cuts and pasture supplies once again running thin. With the exception of very localized patches of the southeast, which are seeing almost normal growth, most producers harvested 50 to 70 per cent of their normal forage in the first cut, according to John McGregor, hay expert

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Saskatchewan ranchers backed for runoff control

Funding on offer for earth-moving work

Cow-calf producers in Saskatchewan may be able to get cost-shared funds from the federal/provincial Farm Stewardship Program to build ponds, ditches, dikes or berms to collect or manage runoff. The province and federal government on Tuesday announced such work now qualifies as a beneficial management practice (BMP) covered under the program. Eligible beef cow-calf producers


dugout

Rains bring second wind to pastures, water supplies

DROUGHT | Many producers got desperately needed rain in the second week of June, but low water concerns have not been totally banished Tyler Fulton’s dugout looks very different from the image of an ever-deepening hole and dwindling water that he posted to Twitter only weeks ago. At the time, the Birtle-area farmer and president of the

Wildlife, especially rodents like raccoons and rats, can transmit leptospirosis to so-called ‘closed herds.’

Don’t be fooled into thinking a ‘closed herd’ is an excuse for inaction

Beef 911: Transmission can occur from wildlife, via spores or breeding bulls, so be proactive

In my travels, on calls or when talking to other veterinarians’ producers, I still hear some hide behind the proverbial, ‘I don’t do that because I have a closed herd.’ It is an absolute misconception that because a herd is ‘closed,’ it is protected. That is a very broad statement and may apply to a



Producers need to think about how to manage during a drought to keep the most productive and valuable cows in the herd.

Keep your cow herd productive during drought

Recent precipitation might help, but the region remains in a dry cycle so far this season

Much of the northern plains has been in a long-term drought trend for the past several years, and already the season has been off to a dry start. While producers are familiar with drought, being prepared to develop or modify management plans in anticipation of the many challenges ahead is critical. With breeding season approaching,


Percentage of average precipitation in Western Canada for the 90 days ending April 5, 2021. (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada map)

Manitoba forage, grassland growers burned by drought

MarketsFarm — An ongoing lack of precipitation, which is showing no signs of letting up in the coming months according to weather forecasts, is already causing problems for Manitoba’s forage and grasslands. Growers in the province have had to deal with three straight years with lower-than-normal precipitation. In 2019, multiple rural municipalities in Manitoba’s Parkland

Year-round grazing requires year-round planning and management.

Winter grazing not just about winter

Regenerative grazing key to year-round pasture management

Whenever Steve Kenyon gives a presentation on year-round grazing systems, producers immediately think only of winter grazing. Bale grazing, swath grazing, crop residue grazing — Kenyon knows that producers who graze their cattle over winter love to talk about these things. But he cautions that, despite their importance, these methods are only a small part